Results are available - congratulations to the winners!
How Does ISSF TARGET SPRINT Work?
ISSF TARGET SPRINT - A NEW SPORT FOR ALL EVENTISSF Target Sprint participants begin each event with a mass start and a fixed distance run. At the end of the first run, normally 600 meters, they stop at a 10-meter air rifle range where they must pick up their rifles and shoot at and hit five knockdown targets from standing position. More than five shots are often required to hit all five targets, but that adds to the shooting time. There are no penalties, but the sooner you finish shooting, the sooner you can start running your next lap. At the end of the second run, participants must shoot another five targets before beginning the third and final running stage. The final rankings are clear and easy to understand. The athlete who completes the three running stages and two shooting stages and who is the first at the finish line is the winner.
FIRST ISSF TARGET SPRINT EVENT CONDUCTED AT THE ISSF WC IN MUNICH
We used the CMP's Anschutz NMAR airguns on Megalink electronic targets. We couldn't figure out if there was a biathlon hit/miss mode for the targets, so we just cut a corner and counted any shot scoring 5.0 or better (on the 10m air rifle target) as a "hit". The 400m running course looped the CMP parking lot. Spectators even had bleachers and could watch the shooting stage scores roll in! We had to run in three waves due to having only 10 firing points available at a time, to prevent conflicts. We called the waves "relays", in the spirit of rifle competition!
We learned that, although it is necessary to be a fast middle-distance runner to be really "elite", the strongest driver of individual times was the shooting component. Shooters requiring more than 10 shots to successfully hit five 5.0's-or-better were really hurting to run a good time, whereas at least one shooter who jogged the entire course but shot very well finished strongly in the middle of the pack.
I really encourage anyone who has any interest in this whatsoever to try holding a Target Sprint alongside another air rifle (or maybe even smallbore!) match. Juniors, adults and seniors alike all had a fantastic time - some for the competition, but most for the personal challenge. I have no idea how to sanction an "actual" ISSF event, but a just-for-fun event is great for garnering interest and, well, having fun! Official rules will be available soon through the ISSF website.
Tell me what you think - is there enough interest to hold a dedicated event sometime? Also, Hi everyone, I'm new to the forums here.
